Smart Party Planning: How to Reduce Waste BEFORE your guests arrive!

Is one of your goals this year to help reduce waste? Try starting with food waste! According to the USDA, 30-40 percent of food produced in the United States every year goes to waste. This corresponded to about 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010. Wasted food that is sent to landfills quickly generates methane, a greenhouse gas. About 20% of the country’s methane emissions come from landfills. Food waste is definitely a big deal!

Planning events with family and friends can be difficult at times, especially when trying to make the right amount of food. As you plan your next party, consider using the Guest-imator a new tool that helps party planners estimate how much food they actually need. A better estimate of food needed for a party will result in cost savings and less food thrown away. This tool is being used by the Ad Council and the Natural Resources Defense Council through the Save The Food national public service campaign.

The Guest-imator is easy to use. You simply visit the Guest-imator website and answer several questions; then, the tool tells you how much of each of each ingredient you should buy (example: 5 pounds of ham, or 8 potatoes). The tool takes into account the number of people, their appetites, the types of dishes being served, and more to provide an accurate sense of how much to buy to feed your guests and minimize waste! It also adjusts itself if the host changes one of these factors. It can even plan for leftovers!

To see the introduction video made by Ad Council, click here! To see the introductory article, click here!